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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25081918">the effects of romantic falsehoods</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/readandwritesilver/pseuds/readandwritesilver'>readandwritesilver</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Community (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Season/Series 04, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, but not in the way you think</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:01:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,869</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25081918</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/readandwritesilver/pseuds/readandwritesilver</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I just have this weird urge to date someone else. Get into a relationship immediately and just wave it around in Britta’s stupid, beautiful face.”<br/>“But you can’t do that?”<br/>“Are you kidding? Of course I can’t! I can’t use another person like that, even if I want to.”<br/>They’re both silent for a moment, Annie stewing in her own angry pining, and Abed considering the concept.</p><p>“I may have a solution.”</p><p>or, abed and annie pretend to date, and troy isn't sure how to feel.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annie Edison &amp; Abed Nadir, Annie Edison/Britta Perry, Troy Barnes &amp; Britta Perry, Troy Barnes &amp; Jeff Winger, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir, fake annie/abed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>359</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>trobed :)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the effects of romantic falsehoods</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this fic is dedicated to the anon that sent me an ask about how excited they were to read it. i didnt say anything when i replied to you, but i was going to scrap this because i wanted it to be longer and knew it wasnt going to be, and then i got that message and it gave me the push i needed to finish it. anon, if youre reading this, thank you. i was in a massive rut with this story and felt generally uninspired and your message totally turned it around. if you have something nice to say to an authour, say it. you never know how much they need to hear it.</p><p>also, a warning - jeff/annie is briefly mentioned. its not in any way an actual pairing, but it is adressed. if j/a bothers you, you'll probably be alright, but some people are particularly sensitive so. just thought id mention it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I have a problem.”</p><p>Abed looks up from the sink of dishes that he’s washing to see Annie standing in the doorframe of the kitchen.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“Well, it’s more like an existing problem got worse.”</p><p>She’s speaking in code again. She knows by now how Abed feels about that, but he’s pretty sure it’s just habit at this point.</p><p>“What problem got worse, then?”</p><p>“Y’know,” she gestures jerkily into the air and widens her eyes as she nods in the same direction “<em> the problem </em>.”</p><p>He frowns, momentarily, and then it clicks “Your attraction to Britta?”</p><p>Annie jumps, eyes darting toward Troy's bedroom as she hisses at him.</p><p>“Will you keep your voice down?”</p><p>“Troy didn’t hear that. His hearing is awful. I just wanted to clarify.”</p><p>She shakes her head, more to herself than to him.</p><p>“Alright, fine, whatever. Yes, that problem.”</p><p>Abed frowns at her.</p><p>“How did it get worse?”</p><p>She sighs and sits on the counter next to the sink. Abed returns to the dishes as she talks.</p><p>“She’s totally into Troy. They’re definitely, like, days away from making it official.”</p><p>Abed hums in agreement. “I’ve noticed the same thing. I don't want to mention it, though. I knew it would upset you.”</p><p>Annie awws, and leans her head forward to rest on Abed’s shoulder. It’s definitely an awkward position, especially since Abed continues to do the dishes as she rests there, but neither of them mind.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you know what I really want to do?” Annie says, after a moment.</p><p>“In relation to the situation, or in general?”</p><p>“The situation.”</p><p>“Be the one dating Britta?”</p><p>“No,” she huffs, then pauses “well, yeah. But do you know what I really want to do right now?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“God, it’s awful. I feel so scummy about it, I don’t even want to say it out loud. It’s so not like me, I'm not even a jealous person. I’m never like this.”</p><p>“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Abed tells her. He completely means it, but he also knows that she’s going anyway.</p><p>“It’s so ridiculous. I can’t tell you.”</p><p>Abed doesn’t respond. She doesn’t seem to notice.</p><p>“I just have this weird urge to date someone else. Get into a relationship immediately and just wave it around in Britta’s stupid, beautiful face.”</p><p>“But you can’t do that?”</p><p>“Are you kidding? Of course I can’t! I can’t use another person like that, even if I want to.”</p><p>They’re both silent for a moment, Annie stewing in her own angry pining, and Abed considering the concept.</p><p> </p><p>“I may have a solution.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Troy, Annie, and Abed, as per usual, are the last ones to the study room. Between Troy's forgetfulness, Abed's inability to tell time, and Annie's need to make sure the three of them always arrive together, the only person they ever arrive before is Britta.</p><p> </p><p>Today, Annie and Abed stop in the doorway as they get there.</p><p>“Guys? What’s up?” Troy asks them, noticing that they’re not by his side.</p><p>The rest of the group turns to face them at his comment, giving them varying inquisitive looks.</p><p>The two of them exchange a glance, and then join their hands, grinning at the study group.</p><p>“We have an announcement,” Abed says.</p><p>“We’re dating!” Annie squeals.</p><p>There’s a variety of responses. Shirley gives an excited “that’s nice!”, Jeff is supportive in his own dismissive way, Britta starts spouting off about something to do with the patriarchy, and Pierce doesn’t seem to know what’s going on.</p><p>Troy is confused. Annie and Abed are his best friends, he loves them. The concept of them dating, making each other happy, should make him more excited than anything else in the world.</p><p> </p><p>So why does he feel like he’s going to be sick?</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Over the course of the next week, things only get worse.</p><p> </p><p>Annie and Abed are Sappy and sweet in a way that Troy would have never expected from Troy. They hold hands constantly, and have so many pet names that Troy doesn’t know if they remember each other’s actual names anymore.</p><p>The rest of the group isn’t much help either. Shirley seems overjoyed, she watches them with a smile on her face and her hands clasped in front of her chest. Britta is generally supportive as well, albeit in a far different way than Shirley is.</p><p>Even Jeff, the only one he would expect to have something to say, seems entirely indifferent to the new development.</p><p> </p><p>Troy corners him one day to ask about it.</p><p>“So, Annie and Abed,” he says. Jeff is walking to class, and gives Troy an odd look.</p><p>“What about them?”</p><p>“Well, y’know. I thought you might have something to say.”</p><p>Jeff just shrugs.</p><p>“Nope. it makes perfect sense, honestly.”</p><p>“So it doesn’t bother you?”</p><p>“What? No.”</p><p>Jeff pauses, and then looks at him.</p><p>“Is this because of Annie? Do you think I’m jealous of Abed?”</p><p>He doesn’t. But it’s a viable angle, and he’s willing to play it.</p><p>“I mean, I definitely think you have a reason to be.”</p><p>“Jesus Christ,” Jeff groans, and pulls Troy to the side of the hall, out of the flow of traffic.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not interested in Annie,” Jeff tells him, still holding his shoulders “even if I was, I'm not going to break her and Abed up. I’m not in junior high.”</p><p>
  <em> Shit. wrong move. </em>
</p><p>Jeff’s eyes narrow. “Is that what this is about? Do you want to break them up?”</p><p>“What? No!” Troy exclaims in outrage, and then pauses. <em> Is </em>that what he wants?</p><p>Jeff is still looking at him skeptically, and Troy shakes his head. “No, of course not. They’re my best friends.”</p><p>Jeff doesn’t seem to believe him, but he steps back.</p><p>“Okay. but if you <em> do </em> have feelings for Annie or something, you need to deal with that. Because I don’t know if you’ve seen them, but they’re disgustingly adorable. I don’t think they’re going anywhere.”</p><p>Troy’s eyes widen. “What? I don’t have feelings for Annie.”</p><p>Jeff doesn’t respond, just shrugs and walks off.</p><p>Whatever. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Bye, guys!” Annie calls as her, Troy, and Abed split away from the group to head home. They don’t get very far, before Troy stops in the middle of the sidewalk, telling them that he forgot something in the study room and running in the other direction.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m starting to wonder if lying to Troy is going to have negative repercussions,” Abed says, as they wait for him.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Annie asks, tilting her head to look up at him. They’re leaning against the outside of the pool building, hands still joined.</p><p>“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he doesn’t seem supportive of our relationship.”</p><p>“And that bothers you?”</p><p>“Not at all. I’m just concerned about the toll it seems to be taking on him. I think that the change in dynamic is causing him a lot of stress.”</p><p>Annie considers this, watching Garret try to wrestle his pencil case away from a squirrel.</p><p>“Do you think we should tell him?” she asks, facing Abed again. He shakes his head.</p><p>“The combination of his closeness to Britta and poor secret-keeping abilities would put the operation in jeopardy.”</p><p>“What do we do, then?”</p><p>Abed scrunches his mouth, deep in thought.</p><p>“I don’t really think there’s anything we can do. There’s been, at least in his eyes, a sudden disruption to both the group dynamic as a whole, and the dynamic between the three of us. It’s a shock to the system. Either he’ll adjust, or this will be over before he has to and it won’t be a concern.”</p><p>Annie nods. “That makes sense. I just hope he doesn’t get his feelings hurt.”</p><p>“He’ll be fine,” Abed tells her, and they both spot Troy jogging towards them at the same time.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>The sick feeling doesn’t seem like it’s ever going away, and it's barely been two weeks.</p><p>One day, Annie and Abed are leaving the study room. They’re going separate ways, and Abed leans down to peck Annie on her mouth, and they wave to each other as they leave for their classes.</p><p>Troy feels himself glaring and tries to quickly rearrange his expression, but it’s too late. Britta is looking at him curiously.</p><p>“Troy?” she asks him “are you alright?”</p><p>Everyone else has gone to their classes, it’s just the two of them in the study room, students rushing through the halls and library around them, trying to get to class.</p><p>“Yeah,” he tells her “I’m fine.”</p><p>He moves to brush past her, but she catches his arm and looks up at his face. He avoids her eyes as she speaks to him, gently.</p><p>“You can talk to me. You know that, right?”</p><p>Troy nods. “Thanks, Britta, but I’m alright. I gotta get to class.”</p><p>He bristles past her, and ignores the way that she watches him go.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Annie and Abed, graciously, are actually far <em> less </em> couple-y around the apartment. They’re mostly the same as they were before, with the pet names and general mush that permeates every interaction at Greendale becoming almost nonexistent.</p><p> </p><p>That night, Troy and Abed sit down to watch Kickpuncher. Troy sits in his chair, jaw clenched as Annie and Abed speak lowly to each other in front of Annie's door.</p><p>“I just wish it would work faster,” he hears Annie say. Her face looks closed off, almost sad.</p><p>Abed says something else, a question, and she shakes her head before responding. Troy strains his ears, trying to figure out what his friends are up to.</p><p>“Are you sure you don’t want to join us?” Abed asks her, after a moment, voice slightly louder.</p><p>“I’m sure,” Annie tells him “I’m just gonna go to bed.”</p><p>Abed nods, and he leans in to kiss her forehead before she closes the door and he comes to sit down. Troy ignores the wrench in his gut.</p><p>“What was that about?” Troy asks, trying to keep his face neutral.</p><p>“Annie's not feeling well,” Abed tells him</p><p>Abed turns to face the screen, but Troy doesn’t do the same.</p><p>“You guys are really happy together, huh?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Abed says, turning to Troy with a grin “it’s going really well.”</p><p> </p><p>Troy smiles, and Abed shifts back to the movie. Troy can’t focus on the tv, though, because he’s just realized that he’s a moron, and the problem has been glaring him in the face this whole time.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Britta!” Troy calls, rushing towards his friend as she walks across the quad. She stops and looks around, before she spots Troy and waves. He reaches her, and grabs her by the shoulders. “I need your help.”</p><p>“With what?” she asks, seeming slightly alarmed.</p><p>“You know how you said I could talk to you about anything?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“I’m in love with Annie.”</p><p> </p><p>Britta opens her mouth, closes it, and then shakes her head and pulls Troy off of the path. She motions for him to sit beneath a tree, and she does the same.</p><p>“You’re in love with Annie.”</p><p>Troy nods.</p><p>“When did you figure this out?”</p><p>“Last night. Abed was telling me how happy he was with Annie, and the whole time that they’ve been dating, I've been feeling really weird. Like I'm sad, but at the same time, I'm angry? And sometimes like I'm going to vomit. So Abed was talking to me, and all of a sudden I just realized <em> why </em> I've been feeling like that.”</p><p>“Because you love Annie,” Britta finishes for him.</p><p>“Exactly.”</p><p>Britta frowns at him. “That doesn’t really sound like you’re in love with Annie.”</p><p>“What? Of course I am.”</p><p>“Tell me one reason exclusively that your feelings for her are romantic. One.”</p><p>Troy opens his mouth to respond, but can’t come up with anything. He frowns.</p><p>“Exactly.”</p><p>“That doesn’t mean anything! I’m just bad with words!”</p><p>“Okay, fine. I want you to imagine kissing Annie. Like, really imagine it. Fully making out with her. Think super hard about it, and tell me how you feel.”</p><p>Troy does. He’s not sure he can ever look Annie in the eye again.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, you might be right. But if I'm not in love with Annie, then why do I hate seeing her and Abed together?”</p><p>“Don’t you get it?” Britta says to him, exasperated “you’re not jealous of Abed, you’re jealous of <em> both </em> of them!”</p><p>Troy frowns. “What?”</p><p>“You’re just jealous of their <em> relationship </em>. They’re your best friends, and all of a sudden they’re doing this big important thing that doesn’t involve you.” she pauses, before adding “plus, you’re a guy, so you're probably doing that thing guys do where they get all possessive of women they know, even if they’re not actually ever going to date them.”</p><p>“That… makes sense.”</p><p>Britta nods, seeming proud of herself. “Duh-doy. I’m a psych major, Troy, I know what I'm talking about.”</p><p>“So, wait, what do I do?”</p><p>Britta opens and closes her mouth, brow furrowed.</p><p>“I don’t know.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>So he doesn't have feelings for Annie. That’s good.</p><p>He’s not sure <em> why </em> it’s good, but it is. Maybe because he doesn’t have to feel bad about getting involved in some sort of messy love triangle with his best friends. But it hasn’t solved the problem of their relationship making him feel like his whole body is on fire, so things aren’t exactly perfect.</p><p> </p><p>“Abed, where’s Annie?”</p><p>Shirley’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts. They’re all walking to the study room together after school, and Troy realizes that Britta isn’t there either.</p><p>Abed shrugs. “I think she went to the study room early.”</p><p>Shirley hums and turns back to her conversation with Jeff.</p><p> </p><p>They’re just outside the library doors when Troy glances down and notices Abed's shoelace untied.</p><p>“Oh, Abed, hold on,” Troy tells him, and Abed stops so Troy can bend down.</p><p>Abed had told Troy back in freshman year that he couldn’t tie his shoes. One of their favourite games to fall asleep on those nights was to take turns telling secrets until the other fell asleep (the winner was the last one to admit something), and Abed had admitted it to him late in the game, when they were less telling secrets and more just saying whatever they could think of that the other didn’t know.</p><p>“Really?” Troy had asked.</p><p>“If I lied, it would defeat the purpose of the game.”</p><p>“Wait, then how come your shoes are always tied?.”</p><p>“My dad does them when I go home to do laundry, and I just have to shove my foot into them. It’s surprisingly hard to find velcro shoes for adults.”</p><p>Troy considered this for a moment. “I could do it.”</p><p>“Make velcro shoes for adults? I actually think it’s a pretty solid business idea. We just need someone to fund it.”</p><p>“What? no. Well, yeah, I would make velcro shoes for adults, that’s definitely a great idea. Even if it wasn’t, I'd still do it just for you.” Troy had gotten lost in the prospect of adult velcro shoes for a moment, before shaking his head to refocus “no, I mean I could tie your shoes. Like in the morning before class, and also if they get untied.”</p><p>“Oh,” Abed had said “cool. Cool, cool, cool. Thank you.”</p><p>Annie had gotten in on it as well, once they had all moved in together. It was an unspoken routine before they left: shower, eat, get dressed, get your stuff, make sure Abed’s shoes are tied.</p><p>Troy finishes with the shoes and stands. The two of them do their handshake, and enter the library.</p><p> </p><p>They get there to find Shirley, Jeff, and Pierce standing in the doorway of the study room, all staring in varying levels of shock at something inside.</p><p>The two of them get closer, and see what they’re staring at. Annie and Britta are both on the back couch, Annie in Britta’s lap as they make out. Neither of them seems to have noticed the group.</p><p>A heavy moment passes, and Jeff is the first to speak.</p><p>“You’ve got to be kidding.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>What ensues, of course, is chaos.</p><p> </p><p>Annie and Britta jolt up off the couch, and Britta quickly grabs her bag and hurries out. Annie just stares at the group, dishevelled and embarrassed. After a moment, her eyes meet Abed’s, and he turns on his heel and leaves the room. She runs after him, leaving the remaining group members in an awkward silence.</p><p>“Holy shit,” says Jeff, and they numbly find their seats, more out of habit than anything.</p><p>Pierce is rifling through his bag, and the other three watch him with both curiosity and concern as he stands.</p><p>“Damn, I think I left my speech folder in my car.”</p><p>He leaves the room, and silence falls over them once again.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Annie, Abed, and Britta don’t return to the study room.</p><p>Pierce comes back with his speeches, and there’s an awkward fifteen minutes where everyone is waiting for people that nobody expects to come back. Eventually, Shirley gives a weak excuse about needing to get home early, and everyone else follows.</p><p> </p><p>Abed is in the kitchen when he gets home. He sets Annie's belongings that he had collected for her on the table, and goes to talk to him.</p><p>“Hey, buddy.”</p><p>Abed glances at him, before returning to the glass of water he’s pouring. “Hey.”</p><p>“You alright?”</p><p>“Why would I not be alright?” Abed asks, leaning against the counter to take a sip.</p><p>Troy is confused. “Because your girlfriend cheated on you with your other friend?”</p><p>“Oh, right. We weren’t actually dating.”</p><p>A beat, then:</p><p> </p><p>“Huh?”</p><p> </p><p>“Annie had feelings for Britta, so she wanted to date someone in the hopes of making Britta jealous, but didn’t want to deceive another person. I offered to help, because I enjoyed the prospect of a sham relationship. I didn’t honestly think the plan would even work, I just wanted to try out the trope. But here we are, I guess.”</p><p>It takes Troy a moment to process. Abed is watching him silently, sipping his water as Troy attempts to un-wrinkle his brain.</p><p>“Abed, don’t you think it’s unfair to play with people’s feelings like that?”</p><p>“Are you talking about Britta? Annie went after her to explain everything, and judging by the fact that neither of them is here and Annie hasn’t texted me, she doesn’t mind.”</p><p>“I’m not talking about Britta.”</p><p>Abed cocks his head, setting down his glass. “Then who?”</p><p>“Me,” Troy mumbles.</p><p>“You? Why you?”</p><p>Troy flushes. “Nothing. No reason.”</p><p>“Oh. okay.”</p><p> </p><p>And he definitely means it. Abed doesn’t play games (not like that, anyway), and it’s normally one of Troy's favourite things about him. But it’s almost infuriating right now.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just, I had this whole crisis about your relationship, and it wasn’t even real. So I freaked out for no reason.”</p><p>“Why were you freaked out?”</p><p>“Britta thinks it’s because I was jealous of your relationship.”</p><p>Abed frowns incrementally.</p><p>“What do you think?”</p><p>Troy shrugs and moves to stand next to Abed.</p><p>“I’m not sure. All I know is that seeing you and Annie together made me feel, like, weird? Like I wanted to hit something and cry and throw up, all at the same time.”</p><p>He can feel Abed's eyes on him, and he turns to meet them.</p><p>“I’m sorry about that,” Abed tells him. “I noticed you were uncomfortable, but I didn’t know it was to that degree. I was preoccupied with the plan.”</p><p>Troy shrugs. “It’s fine. I mean, if it had been real, I would have had to deal with it anyway, right? I can’t get mad at you because of that.”</p><p>Abed pauses. “I don’t have feelings for Annie, Troy.”</p><p>Troy’s eyebrows shoot up. “What? I know that.”</p><p>“Oh. That’s good. I just wanted to clarify. Just in case.”</p><p>“In case of what?”</p><p>Abed is quiet, looking away.</p><p>“I shouldn’t have said that.”</p><p>Troy is even more confused. “Why not?”</p><p>Abed opens and closes his mouth, frowning. He’s thinking.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been in love with you since we sang to Fivel in freshman year.”</p><p> </p><p>He looks back to Troy as he says it. His voice is quiet, reserved in a way that would be indistinguishable to anyone else. But he turns to meet Troy's eyes after a moment, doesn’t pull away as Troy draws in a sharp breath.</p><p>“What?” Troy says, lamely.</p><p>“It’s alright if you’re not ready to talk about it. I misjudged how aware you are of the implications of your reaction to mine and Annie's relationship.”</p><p>“Abed, what are you talking about?”</p><p>Abed sighs, but it’s different from how people usually sigh at Troy. They always sound like they’re tired of him, tired of having to over-explain and repeat themselves. Abed sounds like he’s tired of the world. Tired of himself.</p><p>“You weren’t jealous of our relationship, Troy. You were jealous of Annie.”</p><p>Troy blinks several times, processing all of this, and it crashes over him all at once.</p><p>He’s silent for too long as he goes over the past three years in his head, but Abed doesn’t seem to mind (Abed spends a lot of time sitting in silence, he supposes it makes sense).</p><p>“Abed?” he finally says.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Can I kiss you?”</p><p>Abed blinks, surprised.</p><p>“Oh,” and Troy thinks momentarily that he’s fucked up majorly, but Abed just says “I didn’t expect you to process that so quickly. Yes, you can.”</p><p>Troy grins, and he’s suddenly nervous as he reaches up to place a hand on the side of Abed's face. But Abed gives him a minuscule smile, and the nerves fade as he leans up to press their lips together.</p><p>It’s soft, fleeting, tender. But he catches the way Abed's eyes drop to his lips as they separate, and he crashes them back together, far less gentle than before.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Troy, Annie, Abed, and Britta all arrive at the study room at the same time the next morning. Shirley is looking at them like they’re a ticking time bomb, and even Jeff looks slightly apprehensive. Pierce looks less concerned, and more like he wishes he had popcorn for whatever drama is about to ensue.</p><p> </p><p>“So, have you kids, um, worked things out?” Shirley asks, voice tense.</p><p>“Oh” Annie begins, sharing a glance with Abed, who nods “Abed and I, uh, we weren’t actually together.”</p><p>She giggles nervously, as they receive multiple surprised looks.</p><p>“What?” Jeff asks, confused.</p><p>“Yeah, uh, it’s a long story. But we’re all good now.”</p><p>“Not to intrude on the moment,” Troy says “but Abed and I figured some things out as well.”</p><p>Troy finds Abed's hand and laces it with his as they grin at each other.</p><p>Jeff’s mouth is slightly agape, and Shirley has her head in her hands.</p><p>“Oh lord,” she mutters.</p><p>Pierce reaches into his bag, and pulls out a black folder.</p><p>“You’re all lucky I remembered this,” he tells them “take a seat.”</p><p>Sharing several concerned looks, the four of them find their places, and Pierce clears his throat.</p><p>“Britta, you’ve already heard yours, but I would be happy to repeat it if you-”</p><p>“Nope, that’s alright.”</p><p>“Suit yourself. Should we go in alphabetical order, then?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>come talk to me on <a href="https://readandwritesilver.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/HOMINGPIGE0N">Twitter</a> if you want</p><p>As always, any and all feedback is appreciated :)</p><p>Much love, Ben &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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